Dark Alpha (ALPHA 2) (28 page)

And they still had no idea what had happened to the original money. No doubt it was moldering in a bank account somewhere, unclaimed, and would remain so.

“Lucien—”

“Could we have this conversation once we’re back at my apartment?” A nerve pulsed in his tightly clenched jaw.

“If you would rather I just went back to my own—Lucien?” Nicky suddenly found herself flat on her back on the back seat of the car, with Lucien on top of her.

And it felt glorious. Absolutely glorious.

“You aren’t going anywhere without me,” he rasped. “My father’s right about you,” he mused as he looked down at her, “you just never know when to hold your tongue, do you? I was trying to wait until we were back in my apartment before I touched you again, because I knew what would happen if I did—so let’s find another use for that wicked tongue of yours, hmm?” he groaned as his head lowered and his mouth claimed hers.

Nicky gave a groan of approval, her arms going up about Lucien’s shoulders as she wholeheartedly returned the kiss.

A kiss that involved both her tongue and Lucien’s, the two of them hungry for each other after the tension of the past hour.

“I love you, Nicky,” Lucien murmured some time later, his forehead resting against hers. “I love you so much, and it’s driving me crazy just thinking of trying to protect you. From yourself, if necessary.”

Nicky smiled up at him. “I have a feeling your father might be helping you out with that in future. He likes me, you know,” she added ruefully.

Lucien chuckled. “He likes the idea of grandchildren more.”

Her eyes couldn’t quite meet his. “About that...”

Lucien tensed. “Yes?”

She moistened her lips with that ‘wicked tongue’. “I really think, if I’m going to be the mother of his grandchildren, that you ought to marry me first.”

His brows rose. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

She gave the question some thought. “Well I love you every bit as much as you say you love me, and Jack expects me to be the mother of his grandchildren, so—”

“Jack?”

Nicky nodded. “He asked me to call him that before we left, remember?”

Lucien remembered a lot of things, but the only thing that mattered to him right now was that Nicky had just told him she loved him.
 

She loved him; in spite of everything, she loved him!

His hands came up to cradle either side of her face. “Will you marry me, Nicky? Be my wife? The mother of my children? I want it all, Nicky. Every single bit of you there is to give, I want it.”

Nicky gave a shaky smile at his intensity. “We may have to be a bit—a lot—economical with the truth when we talk to the children about their grandfather—”

“To hell with their grandfather!” Lucien stared down at her intently. “Just tell me you’ll marry me?”

“Of course I’ll marry you.” Nicky’s arms tightened about him as she gazed up at him lovingly. “I love you, Lucien. I love you!”

“I love you too, so much,” he breathed shakily. “And I intend to tell you, and show you that, every day for the rest of our lives together.”

No one could ask for more.

Chapter 16

One month later.

“Mm, that feels good,” Nicky groaned as Lucien smoothed sun-cream onto her back.

Whoever would have thought, even six months ago, that she would be lying here on a sun-lounger, on a beach of white-golden sand, on her husband’s—
their
—Caribbean island?

Certainly not Nicky. In fact, every morning, when she woke in her husband’s arms after a night of spectacular lovemaking, she pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

Their wedding, a quiet ceremony for just family and friends, had taken place just two short weeks ago. They had decided on a private ceremony because of the identity of some of their unorthodox wedding guests.

Nicky smiled now as she thought of Chrissie and Fleur’s faces as they first goggled at Finn Devlin and his wife Eva as they arrived at the church—Nicky and Lucien never did get to the other couple’s wedding a month ago.

But Nicky’s two closest friends had become completely dumbstruck by the presence of Jack Montgomery, accompanied by several of his bodyguards.

Neil had looked handsome in his morning suit as he gave Nicky away, and Dair had made a pretty impressive figure as Lucien’s best man too.

But what had really made it the strangest wedding of the decade had been the arrival of Gregori Markovic, along with two of his own bodyguards. As a sign, Lucien had quietly explained to Nicky, that Gregori intended to continue the longstanding truce between the Montgomery and Markovic family.

Over six feet tall, with a leanly muscled body, overlong black hair, and the most piercing black eyes Nicky had ever seen, set in a hard face of sculptured angles, Gregori Markovic was almost as imposingly handsome as Lucien.

Almost...

No one could possibly be as deliciously, imposingly gorgeous as her husband.

“It will feel even better if you turn over...” Lucien encouraged huskily now.

Nicky purred in approval as she rolled over on the lounger, smiling up at Lucien as he sat beside her, as naked as she was. There hadn’t been a lot of reason for them to bother wearing clothes on this private island, despite the fact that Lucien had kept his word and bought Nicky dozens of sets of silk and lace underwear to replace the ones he had ripped off her.

Lucien had given a leave of absence to the housekeeper and gardener usually in residence in the beautiful villa on the hillside behind them, the two of them preferring to be completely alone for their honeymoon.

Which was perhaps as well, when they spent most of their time making love. Anywhere and everywhere.

Nicky had never been as happy as this in her life before, and Lucien told her every day that he felt the same way. Not that she really needed him to; he was so relaxed, and the two of them laughed almost as much as they made love. Which was a lot.

Lucien’s eyes darkened in appreciation as he began to smooth the sun cream onto Nicky’s bared breasts. “I love you, wife,” he murmured gruffly.

“I love you, husband,” she answered, unhesitant.

“Hmm,” he frowned slightly. “We probably shouldn’t get sun cream all over your locket...” He dried his hands on a towel before unfastening her necklace and lifting it to one side. “I still don’t understand why— Oh shit...” He closed his lids briefly, eyes shining brightly when he opened them again. “I don’t believe this. I just don’t— That is just—” His fingers curled about the heart-shaped locket. “How could I have been so stupid!” He began to laugh.

“Lucien...?” Nicky eyed him worriedly.

He continued to chuckle, his eyes shining. “It was there all the time, Nicky. Literally right under your nose, we just didn’t see it!”

She gave a puzzled shake of her head. “Have you been drinking wine without me?”

“No.” He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips before grinning down at her triumphantly. “I couldn’t understand why, when your birthday is in June, your father would have had an October date engraved on the back of your locket; do you remember my puzzlement that day I asked you about it? Nicky, the engraving on the back of your locket, that I initially thought was a birth date, is actually a bank sort code!” he explained excitedly as she continued to look up at him blankly. “The numbers beneath it are the account number. See!” He held the locket out for her to look at.

Nicky stared down at the locket. Sure enough, there was a six-digit number that could be mistaken for a birth date but could just as easily be a bank sort code, and beneath it an eight-digit number that could be a bank account number.

She looked up at Lucien. “Do you really think...?”

“I do.” He grinned down at her.

Nicky touched the locket with tentative fingertips. “But we still don’t know which bank it’s for, or where.”

“Dair will easily find out,” Lucien dismissed.

“My father left me the information for the bank account the whole time,” she said wonderingly.

“Yes, he did.”

She smiled sadly. “It might have been helpful if he had explained that when he gave me the locket!”

Lucien sobered. “I don’t suppose he thought he needed to at the time.”

“No.” Nicky sighed, before brightening a little. “I can give you your money back now—”

“It’s all
our
money now, Nicky.” Lucien took her into his arms. “And this ten million pounds is yours and Neil’s. Your father gave up his life for it. To ensure it came to you and Neil.”

She gave a shake of her head. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that, knowing where that money came from.”

“You can decide that later,” Lucien dismissed. “You and Neil together.”

“Talking of Neil,” she grimaced. “I’m still not sure that Jack is the right person to act as his guardian while we’re away...”

Lucien chuckled ruefully. “My father is in his element, and I made him promise to keep Neil well away from the family business.”

“Crime is a ‘family business’?” Nicky teased.

“
You’re
my business, Nicky, you always will be,” Lucien assured her intently, the locket sliding out of his fingers as he took Nicky in his arms and began to kiss her.

Which led to more than kissing.

Which would always lead to more than kissing when two people loved each other as much as Lucien and Nicky did.

***

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About The Author

Carole Mortimer is a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of a Pioneer for Romance Romantic Times Award in 2014. She was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 for her ‘outstanding service to literature’. To date Carole has written almost 200 novels in the contemporary and Regency romance genre.

She is happily married to Peter. They have 6 sons, and live on the beautiful Isle of Man. She also loves to hear from Readers!

Other books by Carole Mortimer

Carole has written 163 romance novels in the Presents/Modern series from Harlequin Mills and Boon.

She has also written 24 Regency romance novels in the Harlequin Mills and Boon’s Historical series.

ALPHA series:

Christmas Alpha: Novella, published November 8
^th
, 2014

Dark Alpha: Full-length novel, published January 18
^th
, 2015

Shadow Alpha: Full-length novel, publishing date March 15
^th
, 2015

Midnight Alpha: Full length novel, publishing date May 17
^th
, 2015

There will be more novels and novellas published in the Alpha series in 2015!

Plus a Regency novella series later in 2015.